Play it cool and play this episode. In episode 175 of Overthink, Ellie and David talk about what it means to be cool. From swag gap relationships to Mark Zuckerberg and the manosphere’s failed attempts at being cool, your hosts examine coolness’s ties to youth and subversion and its opposition to displays of wealth. They trace how coolness emerged from Black American culture in the 1930s, before being associated with Beat Poets and punk musicians. They consider precursors to cool, like the Italian term sprezzatura, and question the ontology and the morality of coolness. Is coolness an attitude or a state? Is it inherently narcissistic? Can you ever successfully “try” to be cool? In the Substack bonus segment, Ellie and David discuss coolness through an ethical perspective.

Works Discussed:

Joel Dinerstein, “Jazz Cool”

Ted Gioia, The History of Jazz

bell hooks, We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity

Dick Pountain and David Robins, Cool Rules: Anatomy of an Attitude

Enjoy our work? Support Overthink via tax-deductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3v

Subscribe to our Substack for ad-free versions of both audio and video episodes, extended episodes, exclusive live chats, and more: https://overthinkpod.substack.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kunal Nayyar: Stay Present & Know Yourself

Mayim Bialik's Breakdown

Choosing to confront self instead of medicating

The AI-powered Podcast Player